Mosul Businesses Start Reconstruction Without Waiting for Final Daesh Defeat

Some businessmen in Mosul have begun rebuilding their shattered premises without waiting for financial support from the Iraqi government or for the final defeat of Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) in the city.

“If we wait for support, it could take a long time,” said Rafeh Ghanem, who owns an automotive spare-parts business in the eastern side of the city, Reuters reported.

An airstrike in January reduced the two-story building that houses his shop and dozens of others to a heap of rubble and twisted steel rods.

Iraqi forces took back the eastern side of Mosul in January, after 100 days of fighting. They are now fighting Daesh in districts lying west of the Tigris river that bisects the city.

Ghanem said he and the 25 other businesses that rent space in the building agreed to contribute funds to help the landlord clear the debris and rebuild one of the two storys.

Reconstruction started on April 11 and Ghanem hopes to return to business in three to four months.

He said waiting is of no use since the price of building materials is expected to rise as more reconstruction projects get underway, boosting demand for steel and cement.

The city, captured by Daesh in 2014, has suffered extensive damage as hundreds of houses and public buildings including the airport, the main railway station and the university have been destroyed.